---
summary: "Common Skill Workshop errors and the tool-policy doctor check"
title: "Skill Workshop troubleshooting"
read_when:
  - A Workshop proposal fails to create, apply, or appear in the list
  - The agent cannot call skill_workshop
---

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                        | Resolution                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Skill proposal description is too large`      | Shorten `description` to 160 bytes or less.                                                                                                                                                                 |
| `Skill proposal content is too large`          | Shorten the proposal body or raise `skills.workshop.maxSkillBytes`.                                                                                                                                         |
| `Target skill changed after proposal creation` | Revise the proposal against the current target, or create a new proposal.                                                                                                                                   |
| `Proposal scan failed`                         | Inspect scanner findings, then revise or quarantine the proposal.                                                                                                                                           |
| `Support file paths must be under one of...`   | Move support files under `assets/`, `examples/`, `references/`, `scripts/`, or `templates/`.                                                                                                                |
| Proposal does not show in list                 | Check the selected agent and `OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR`.                                                                                                                                                          |
| Agent cannot call `skill_workshop`             | Check the active tool policy and run mode. `coding` includes the tool; restrictive `tools.allow` policies must list it explicitly, and sandboxed runs must use a normal host-side agent session or the CLI. |

### Tool-policy diagnostic

In `propose` and `auto` modes, `openclaw doctor` runs the
`core/doctor/skill-workshop-tool-policy` check for the default agent. If policy
hides `skill_workshop`, the warning names the first excluding config layer and
the exact `allow` or `alsoAllow` change to make. Older runbooks may still use
`openclaw plugins inspect skill-workshop`; that command now explains that Skill
Workshop is built in and prints the same policy hint when applicable.